Who Rules America? A Breakdown of Wealth in the U.S. House and Senate

I received this info graphic below in an email earlier yesterday afternoon and found it interesting enough to share. The image graphically displays how financial wealth is currently distributed throughout the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.(Source: http://www2.ucsc.edu/whorulesamerica/power/wealth.html)

As you can see, those whom the American people have elected into office are often among the “upper crust” of society.

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And while many politicians enter public office with large bank accounts, few realize how many of our nation’s leaders leverage their political positions to dramatically increase their wealth.

Now, as a student of Austrian economics and as a firm believer in the free markets, I am not opposed at all to leveraging one’s talents and abilities to increase wealth.

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However, when public office is specifically used for private gain, we have a problem.